Cycling UK delivers letter to 10 Downing Street about safer cycling for women

This week was a pretty momentous occasion for Cycling UK: it’s not every day you knock on the big black door of 10 Downing Street. 

Ahead of this year’s glow rides, we were there to deliver a letter asking the Prime Minister to support safer cycling for women. Women cycle around half as often as men, and are more likely to be put off by busy traffic and harassment. As the evenings become darker, it often means stark choices between a busy main road or a dark isolated path.

This matters to all of us. Because when we improve routes and road safety so that more women feel confident to cycle all year round, it makes it better for everyone.

But this wasn’t just a letter from Cycling UK. Alongside that letter were hundreds of personal comments from members and supporters explaining why it’s so important to you.

Like Barbara, who said: “I hear from so many women I meet that they admire me but they themselves would be too scared to ride.”

Or Steve, who noted: “For too many women, the freedom of the road ends at sunset. Please, help us to change that.”

And Sarah summed it up beautifully by saying: “I’ve seen first-hand how a bike can give someone confidence, independence and a real sense of freedom. Everyone deserves that opportunity and no woman should ever have to choose between the joy of cycling and feeling safe.”

From suffragettes to cycling advocates

We were joined by an amazing group of women who helped us deliver those stories to number 10. It felt appropriate that we met in Parliament Square beneath the statue of pioneering cycling suffragette Millicent Garrett Fawcett, who I’m sure would have approved of our mission.

Kitty Cresswell Riol and Jill Borcherds have been huge supporters of our ‘My ride. Our right’ campaign, and are both organising women’s safety audits of the cycle networks in Norwich and Stevenage, respectively.

Stefania Rosso in Brighton and Veerle Noben in Newcastle are going above and beyond to put on welcoming, inclusive cycling sessions for women from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Chandini Sastry is one of those women – she started cycling three months ago, and now she’s delivering letters about cycling to Downing Street!

It was great to have MPs Jess Asato and Kim Leadbeater coming to hand in the letter with us, as both have been very supportive of our campaign.

But of course, the political heavyweight they were all most excited to meet was Number 10’s longest-lasting resident, Larry the Cat.

Why go to Downing Street?

It might seem a strange choice to go to the Prime Minister when decisions about transport are made by separate governments and local councils across the UK.

But something he can influence is the wider political conversation. We’ve all seen that cycling has become a more polarised ‘culture wars’ topic in recent years. If we have Andy Burnham championing safer cycling for women, it leads the way for local and national governments to take bold action to give people more transport choices.

And improving road safety and creating better cycle routes benefits all of us.

What happens next?

Next week, the message ripples out from London right across the UK. Thousands of people will light up the streets with glow rides in more than 80 towns and cities, from Falmouth to Inverness and Colchester to Caernarfon.

These rides are a vibrant celebration of cycling, while also highlighting the need for better cycle routes that women feel confident using after dark. You won’t want to miss it.

JOIN A GLOW RIDE

If there isn’t one near you, there’s still time to put on your own. Rides are happening right up to the end of October.

It can be as simple as finding a few friends, decorating your bikes and enjoying an evening ride together – and it’s great fun! I hope you can be part of it.